35 Best Ways To Style A Coffee Table In Your Living Room

While a combination of flowers, books, and trays is a timeless way to style a coffee table, there's no reason not to experiment with more creative ideas. Here, we highlight 35 chic ways to add some extra flair to your coffee table.

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Laurel & Wolf, James Tabb

Consider a Glass-Topped Table

When you're aiming to showcase a significant amount of accessories, a coffee table with a glass top can provide balance. It doesn't take up as much visual space as an all-wood design, for instance, and it keeps the focus on your display.

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Cynthia Lynn

Go for One Statement Piece

If the idea of mixing decorative objects, flowers, and books really isn't your style, opt for one statement piece that reflects your personality. An eye-catching sculptural item or vase with your favorite blooms is sometimes all that's needed to complete a living room design.

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Stephan Julliard

Weave in a Sentimental Item

Whether it's a family heirloom or a ceramic that you've treasured for years, incorporating a sentimental element into your coffee table decor adds a special touch. Plus, it's the perfect conversation starter, which is necessary for every interior.

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Alyssa Rosenheck

Add An Air Of Mystery

A brass cloche is the singular (and somewhat mysterious) piece of coffee table decor in the living room of designer Shawn Anderson's country-meets-gothic farmhouse in Memphis.

Designer Shawn Henderson pared down the coffee table decor in the living room of this Montana mountain home. The custom sofa, in a JAB Anstoetz fabric, is by Dune, the 1950s chair (left) is in a Dedar fabric, and the custom armchair is covered in Arabel fabrics; the 1930s orange lacquer–and-shagreen sideboard is French, the 1950s Murano glass table lamp is by Seguso, the 1955 chandelier is by FontanaArte, the custom rug is by Beauvais, and the Venetian plaster walls are in Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray.

A bust sits on the coffee table from India in the living room of designer John Robshaw's Connecticut home. The living room sofa and its fabric are by John Robshaw for Duralee; the armchair, custom banquettes, and bone-inlay side table are all Robshaw designs.

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Björn Wallander

Mix Rustic With Refined

The cocktail table inside designer Rela Gleason's San Miguel de Allende home is an inverted polished tree stump, a stone mill wheel serves as a side table. A ceramic vase and a leather-bound book keep the look classic.

A tri-level coffee table sets the stage for drama in this Chicago living room. The custom sofa, in a JAB Anstoetz fabric, is by Dune, the 1950s chair (left) is in a Dedar fabric, and the custom armchair is covered in Arabel fabrics; the 1930s orange lacquer–and-shagreen sideboard is French, the 1950s Murano glass table lamp is by Seguso, the 1955 chandelier is by FontanaArte, the custom rug is by Beauvais, and the Venetian plaster walls are in Benjamin Moore’s Stonington Gray.

If your table makes a statement on its own, whatever you place on top of it is just a bonus! Inside a PR maven's New York City home, the coffee table and floor lamp are by West Elm. On top you'll find an array stylish books, fresh flowers, and chic trinkets.

The sleek living room of a Manhattan apartment designed by Jamie Drake and Caleb Anderson of Drake/Anderson has two separate sitting areas and tables of various sizes throughout. The glass cocktail table by Fredrikson Stallard is filled with feathers, the round side table is by Holly Hunt Studio, the lamp on it is by Charles Paris and the custom rug is by Tai Ping.

In the living room of a weekend home in Bridgehampton, New York, designed by Steven Gambrel, the cocktail table is by Dos Gallos and is topped with several vases and trays. The petite Thebes-style caned stools that accompany it are vintage.

This country house in southeastern Uruguay, which was built on the remains of an 1810 roadside general store, defies all design conventions. In the living room, they've even opted for a vintage side table from France instead of a coffee table. A single vase full of wildflowers draws the eye inside the stylishly stark room.

Don't stop at one (or two) tiny coffee tables. Stagger three tables throughout your living room and choose a different accent for each — say, a book, a candle and a plant. This look worked well in Ellen Pompeo's Hollywood Hills home.

If your coffee table is tiny in size, like the one in this São Paulo duplex, all it needs is one of your favorite artisan bowls or plates to elevate it — especially if the rest of the room boasts maximalist decor.

Stack books on your cocktail table as a foundation for your collection of eclectic knickknacks. In an apartment on New York City's Sutton Place, trinkets and miniature sculptures give the living room a chic but eclectic vibe.

In the living room of antiques dealer John Pope’s Charleston, South Carolina apartment, the statement red cocktail table was found at auction. It is topped with meticulously stacked sets of books and a sprinkling of trinkets that ensure the colorful table is still visible.

The coffee table in interior designer William McClure's former Birmingham, Alabama living room is not only a perch or books, candles and flowers, but a stash spot for throw pillows, which are placed underneath.

In the living room of a Paris apartment designed by Jean-Louis Deniot, the black and white cocktail table by Hagit Pincovici is nod to the gray found throughout the rest of the room. To let the piece shine, tabletop accessories are limited to candlesticks and a decorative sculpture.

In the living area of interior designer Kimille Taylor’s Upper West Side apartment, the center table is topped with a sparse selection of books and flowers (of course), allowing for the dazzling yellow table to shine for itself.

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